The present invention relates to magnetic resonance imaging systems, apparatus and procedures and, in particular, to apparatus and procedures for improving safety when performing magnetic resonance imaging.
In magnetic resonance imaging, an object to be imaged as, for example, a body of a human subject, is exposed to a strong, substantially constant static magnetic field. The static magnetic field causes the spin vectors of certain atomic nuclei within the body to randomly rotate or “precess” around an axis parallel to the direction of the static magnetic field. Radio frequency excitation energy is applied to the body, and this energy causes the precessing atomic nuclei to rotate or “precess” in phase and in an excited state. As the precessing atomic nuclei relax, weak radio frequency signals are emitted; such radio frequency signals are referred to herein as magnetic resonance signals.
Different tissues produce different signal characteristics. Furthermore, relaxation times are the dominant factor in determining signal strength. In addition, tissues having a high density of certain nuclei will produce stronger signals than tissues with a low density of such nuclei. Relatively small gradients in the magnetic field are superimposed on the static magnetic field at various times during the process so that magnetic resonance signals from different portions of the patient's body differ in phase and/or frequency. If the process is repeated numerous times using different combinations of gradients, the signals from the various repetitions together provide enough information to form a map of signal characteristics versus location within the body. Such a map can be reconstructed by conventional techniques known in the magnetic resonance imaging art, and can be displayed as a pictorial image of the tissues as known in the art.
The magnetic resonance imaging technique offers numerous advantages over other imaging techniques. MRI does not expose either the patient or medical personnel to X-rays and offers important safety advantages. Also, magnetic resonance imaging can obtain images of soft tissues and other features within the body which are not readily visualized using other imaging techniques. Accordingly, magnetic resonance imaging has been widely adopted in the medical and allied arts.
Many conventional magnetic resonance imaging instruments require that a patient lie on a horizontal bed that is then advanced into a tubular bore within a super-conducting solenoidal magnet used to generate the static magnetic field. Other conventional MRI imaging instruments use a magnet having a ferromagnetic frame defining a patient-receiving space. Considerable effort has been devoted to the design of such magnets in a manner which provides a relatively open patient-receiving space, as opposed to the claustrophobic tubular bore of the conventional solenoidal magnet. However, in these instruments as well, it has been the common practice to provide the patient on a bed which remains horizontal throughout the procedure.
Advancement in magnetic resonance imaging has resulted in imaging apparatus that supports a patient in any position between a vertical position and a horizontal position. As described in greater detail in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,414,490, and 6,677,753, a magnetic resonance imaging system can be provided with a patient support, such as a table, which can extend in a generally vertical direction so that the long axis of the patient is substantially vertical. For example, the patient may be in a standing posture, with his back, side or front leaning against a generally vertical patient support. Such a support may include a footrest projecting from the table at its lower end and the patient may stand on the footrest. In other arrangements, the support includes a seat projecting from the table so that the seat is in a horizontal plane when the table surface is vertical. In particularly preferred arrangements, the patient support can move relative to the magnet. For example, the patient support may be arranged to move vertically relative to the magnet so as to elevate a portion of the patient into the patient-receiving space of the magnet. Alternatively or additionally, the patient support may be arranged to tilt through a range of orientations between a generally horizontal orientation and a generally vertical orientation.
Where a patient is positioned on the patient support, the patient may sometimes require additional support members to prevent unwanted movement and injury. Unwanted movement can extend the time it takes to acquire images thereby reducing the throughput of the imaging apparatus. In addition, some patients may not be able to support themselves. This latter effect may sometimes occur with elderly patients. Furthermore, in some instances, additional support may be required because of the patient's condition. For example, a patient with a back condition may need support to maintain a desired imaging position, e.g., a substantially upright position.
In addition, in performing magnetic resonance imaging, an operator is usually not located next to the patient and usually needs to focus on the ancillary equipment, e.g., computers, etc., used to perform scanning. In such instances, mechanisms that may be used to provide additional safety and, for example, prevent a patient from leaving the patient receiving space without the aid of support personnel, are desirable.
Of utility then are methods and systems for preventing unwanted movement and enhancing the safety of a patient during magnetic resonance imaging.